West Virginia Fencing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published West Virginia loss cost for fencing workers comp, class 6400 (Fence Erection - Metal), is $0.940 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.41.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
West Virginia class code for fencing
- 6400: Fence Installation and Repair - Metal, Vinyl, Wood or Prefabricated Concrete Panel Fence Installed by Hand & Drivers
- 6217 (Excavation NOC)
- 5403 (Carpentry NOC)
Fence work carries hand tool injury, post-hole digger / auger risks, lifting, and underground utility strike risks. Chain-link work uses cutting tools with finger injury exposure.
What comp costs per fence installer in West Virginia
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 170 fence erectors on payrolls in West Virginia (May 2025), the 29th largest workforce of the 35 states with published figures. The median wage is $21.65 an hour, 6% below the US median of $23.07.
This trade is a bigger part of the West Virginia job market than it is nationally: fence erectors hold 1.6 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical West Virginia premium of about $1.41 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $0.94 for class 6400 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.31 for every hour worked, or $635 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $1,905 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. West Virginia pay runs from $14.76 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.88 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.21 an hour on a new hire and $0.56 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in West Virginia
- Coverage required: Any employee (from the first)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners not required to cover themselves; may elect in
- State fund: Private market (fully privatized in 2008)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive only if lost time exceeds 7 consecutive days
- Penalty for going without: An uninsured employer loses statutory immunity and can be sued in tort
West Virginia is the most recent state to fully privatize, ending a roughly 90-year monopolistic fund in 2008.
West Virginia vs neighboring states
- Ohio: about $1.47 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $3.99 per $100 of payroll
West Virginia has the lowest fencing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Ohio needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a fencing comp bill
- Fence erection rates sit above most interior trades because of post-hole augers, heavy material, and power tools. Auger training cuts the most serious claims.
- Fence crews often add decks, gates, or ornamental metal work, and those can rate in different classes. Tell your carrier what share of the work each represents.
- Seasonal crews and day labor are common in fencing. Every worker you pay counts at audit, so keep records for temporary hires.
- If you only sell and subcontract the installs, your own exposure is mostly sales and clerical, but only if every installer carries their own coverage.